Lani was a bit of a circus sideshow, Epicharis a pre-race casualty. Those are the last two Japan-based horses to travel to America for a Triple Crown race. The latest voyager, Master Fencer, has so far kept a lower profile.Master Fencer arrived at an international quarantine facility situated on the Arlington Park backstretch April 23, traveled by van to Keeneland after getting out of quarantine, was due to arrive at Churchill Downs on April 30, and if all goes well will be the first Japan-bred starter in the Kentucky Derby. Japan’s two previous Derby runners – Lani, 14th in 2016, and Ski Captain, ninth in 1995 – both were Kentucky-breds. Lani’s mind seemed bent on breeding as much as racing when he came to Kentucky, while Epicharis fought an injury that eventually forced his withdrawal from the 2017 Belmont Stakes. So far, Master Fencer has displayed soundness of mind and body – but whether he truly belongs in the Derby remains to be seen.Master Fencer is the first horse to take a spot in the 20-horse Derby field through the three-year-old Japan Road to the Derby, a four-race series of Japanese dirt races structured like the American Road to the Derby, with top four finishers in the designated races earning points and the highest point-earner guaranteed a starting spot at Churchill Downs. Master Fencer finished fourth in the points standings with 19, but none of the three horses ahead of him were Triple Crown-nominated, leaving the slot to Master Fencer. Fourth in the Hyacinth Stakes over one mile at Tokyo, Master Fencer improved in the 1 1/8-mile Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama, rallying solidly to finish second.“It was the owner’s dream to come to the Kentucky Derby,” trainer Koichi Tsunoda explained in a translated email.The owner, Katsumi Yoshizawa, is a horseman himself, operating three Japanese training and lay-up facilities at which he breaks and trains young horses until they are shipped out to racecourse trainers, according to Kate Hunter, a Japan-based recruiter and field rep who has traveled to Kentucky to assist Master Fencer’s team with logistics. Yoshizawa, whose services are in demand and greatly respected, owns 26 horses alone or in partnership, though Japanese racing rules permit only one owner to be officially listed. One of the horses that passed under Yoshizawa’s guiding hand was Just a Way, a scintillating 2014 winner of the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (now called the Dubai Turf) and the sire of Master Fencer. Master Fencer’s dam is an American-bred daughter of Deputy Minister named Sexy Zamurai, whom Yoshizawa purchased for $110,000 14 years ago at Keeneland’s September sale, where he is a regular buyer. Master Fencer made his first two starts on turf, which is unsurprising, since in Japan, grass racing rules and horses typically are shifted to dirt if they appear to be performing below expectations on turf. At Hanshin on Dec. 23, Master Fencer made his dirt debut, won a maiden race by three lengths, and thus launched the journey that has landed him in Louisville.“He can also run on turf,” Tsunoda said. “We just raced him on dirt once, and since he won, we kept it up.”Tsunoda already has landed a derby win, having ridden a horse named Jungle Pocket to victory in the 2001 Japanese Derby. Tsunoda’s jockey career spanned 1989 through 2010, during which he won 10 Japanese Group 1’s before retiring to turn to training. Tsunoda has eight graded stakes wins as a trainer and 52 horses under his care, a good number by the standards of the Japanese racing institution, which caps the number of horses at about 70 per trainer.Now, Tsunoda faces the tall task of lining up his colt, who hasn’t won above the allowance class, against he likes of three imposing Bob Baffert-trained entrants, Omaha Beach, and other Derby horses of considerable accomplishment in American dirt races, which are both generally of higher quality than those in Japan – and a lot closer to Churchill Downs. At Nakayama, which has a short homestretch, Master Fencer a quarter-mile out appeared to be finishing fast enough to win the Fukuryu but either ran out of time or willingness. “I think the little bit longer of a stretch works best, so he can gain momentum,” said Tsunoda.Master Fencer, like all the other Derby horses with the exception of UAE Derby 1-2 finishers Plus Que Parfait and Gray Magician, has never raced beyond 1 1/8 miles, and his trainer believes his colt, a confirmed late-runner, can benefit from the added distance provided the pace is fair. He and his horse have traveled a long distance themselves to find out.